


Random Solangelo Drabbles

by fob_lvr8



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Solangelo adorableness, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-06-06 10:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6750229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fob_lvr8/pseuds/fob_lvr8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a collection of random, short (and cute) Solangelo drabbles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Capture the Flag

**Author's Note:**

> The name's pretty self-explanatory. Cute, short Solangelo. There aren't very many stories yet, but I plan to add more in the future. Also, each chapter is a new story. Hope you like them!

Nico stared into the shadows of the forest around him. They were a just a few minutes in to capture the flag, and he was trying to focus on the task at hand, though he was finding it somewhat difficult to keep his thoughts off of a certain very attractive, blonde, son of….

_Shut up!_ Nico scolded himself mentally, shaking his head and readjusting his grip on his sword. He had to focus. He quickly redoubled his efforts and hunched slightly next to the tree by him. Carefully, he squinted into the darkness, looking for any enemy players he could ambush. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an intense, blindingly bright light burned into Nico’s retinas, and he felt himself being quickly tackled and pinned to the ground. In the process, his sword skittered out of his hand and landed harmlessly in the grass. For a split second, Nico was scared it was an enemy or a monster that had tackled him, but as he felt the weight of the person on top of him, an abnormally warm hand slipped gently over his mouth and he quickly realized what had happened. 

“Will!” Nico tried to protest after a minute. Unfortunately all that really came out was a muffled “mmmm!” 

“Shhh, you’ll get us caught,” the blonde Apollo camper whispered in his ear. 

Will’s breath tickled on his neck, and the younger boy shivered involuntarily. _Yeah, like the blinding light flash hadn’t been obvious at all_ , Nico thought sarcastically. 

“Come on, we’ve still got a little while before the game ends. I gave my team the slip, and they don’t know where I am,” Will said. “How about we go find somewhere a little more… private?” he finished suggestively. 

He brushed his lips softly against Nico’s cheek, ear, and neck in turn as he talked, making it extremely difficult for the Hades camper to think straight. 

“Or we could just stay here...” Will purred seductively against his skin. The hand not covering Nico’s mouth was gently caressing a piece the younger boy’s hair. Nico shook his head. He tugged on Will’s hand, and the older boy moved it so he could speak. 

“If we stay here they’ll find us for sure,” he whispered. “We can go to my cabin. It’s empty.” 

Above him, Will grinned and then got to his feet. As he was helping Nico up, the noise of a twig snapping made them both freeze. 

“Hide!” Nico hissed urgently and they both dove for the nearest cover. It happened to be a (mostly) concealed bush, and they crammed themselves together to fit under it. 

“Will? Are you out here?” a boy’s voice called. In the bush, Will put his hand over his mouth to stop from laughing. 

“Yeah, come on we need your help!” another voice called. Nico raised his eyebrows at the boy beside him and was met with an icy blue mischievous glance and a gorgeous crooked smile. 

“Ah, it’s no good!” the first voice said after another few minutes. “Come on, they’ll get our flag if we keep wasting time like this.” 

“Fine,” the other voice huffed. “Have fun with your _boyfriend_ , Will. I’m so glad he’s _soo_ much more important than your own siblings!” 

With that, the two campers broke into a run, heading back the way they’d come. At least, Nico supposed as much listening to their footfalls; he couldn’t exactly see much from where he was positioned. Nico hesitated for a few minutes longer. 

“Reckon it’s safe to go to my cabin now?” he finally whispered to Will. 

Will nodded and smiled brightly again, and they clambered out of the bush. 

As soon as Nico was on his feet Will said “Race ya!” and took off running toward the dark black cabin just behind the trees. 

Nico cursed and ran after him, careful to conceal himself in the shadows just in case any other campers were still nearby. When he got to the cabin, he found Will leaning casually by the door, tapping his foot like he’d been standing there all day. His breathing gave him away though. Nico just sighed and rolled his eyes as he discreetly opened the door, shooting furtive glances around the immediate vicinity to make sure no one saw what they were doing. Will quickly followed him in, and shrugged off his shoes at the door. 

Nico pulled off his jacket and then immediately grabbed Will by the shirt collar, pushing him up against the wall and taking the blonde by surprise. Nico may have been shorter and smaller than Will was, but he was a hell of a lot stronger than he looked. 

“That,” he said in a dark whisper, staring straight at the Apollo camper’s eyes, “was completely unfair.” 

Normally, when Nico gave people the look he was giving Will now, they tended to cower and issue hurried apologies before promptly running away. Will, however just laughed a warm and musical sort of giggle before wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist and pulling him in closer. 

“You loved every second of it,” he quipped back. His arms around him made Nico feel like he had just plunged into a Jacuzzi tub. 

“Oh shut up, Solace” he said, and then he planted his lips onto Will’s. 

He felt Will’s lips curve up a little, but he didn’t pause in kissing Nico back. He plunged a hand into Nico’s hair, making tingles shoot down the younger boy’s spine. Nico put his own hand on the side of Will’s cheek. Soon, both of them were breathing heavily, and Nico was slightly afraid his knees might give out, what with as jelly-like as they were feeling and all. 

Suddenly, Will hoisted him up and hugged him against his body, and Nico wrapped his ankles around the boy’s waist instinctively. They kissed for a second, but then Will sidestepped a few paces over to the bed and leaned over so that Nico was on his back and Will was lying over top of him. Nico didn’t have much time to remember how to breathe before their lips locked again. He was starting to feel slightly light-headed and his heart hammered against his ribs. He pulled up on Will’s shirt and drug it off over his head, tousling the boy’s curly blond hair slightly. Will smiled at him and then slipped his hand softly inside Nico’s shirt as he kissed him, leaving traces of pleasant fire across his skin. Nico was just about to the point of taking off his own shirt when the door to his cabin suddenly burst open and his body seemed to freeze into stone. 

“Nico! Are you in here? We w—, oh!” a tall, black haired figure said from the doorway as he caught sight of Nico and Will. 

Will immediately shot up and grabbed his shirt, fumbling with it for a minute, before yanking it over his head without pausing to look at it. It was on backwards. 

“Umm, if this is a bad time…” Percy trailed off, but he had a huge leering smirk on his face, and his sea-green eyes were dancing with humor. Will looked like he might keel over from embarrassment at any moment, and he stared at his feet while his cheeks burned a bright red. 

“Out,” Nico said as soon as he found his voice. “Out, OUT!” he screamed at Percy, giving the son of Poseidon his absolute best, murderous glare. If Percy didn’t leave soon, Nico wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself from throttling him. 

“Sure, sure,” Percy said easily, still smirking. He quickly turned toward the door, but he paused and waggled his eyebrows for a second at Nico, saying “you two be good now.” He then had the nerve to wink at Nico, and was very lucky he shut the door when he did, because a second later, Nico’s heavy boot smacked the door exactly where Percy’s head had been. 

“I _will_ kill him,” Nico muttered darkly. “I swear to all the gods.” 

To his surprise, Will suddenly burst out laughing. His cheeks were still a little pink, but other than that he seemed to have recovered from his embarrassment. “Guess the gig’s up, eh?” he said to Nico. 

“Yeah, guess so,” Nico said sullenly. 

“Well, see ya around, Death Boy,” Will said, winking at him and smiling, and then he turned and walked over to the door. 

“Wait,” Nico said, hopping up and walking over to Will. 

The older boy turned and raised an eyebrow at him. There was still a glimmer of playfulness in his eyes. 

“Uhh,” Nico said. Whatever train of thought he had had previously left him as he got close to the Apollo camper. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back later,” Will said quietly, and then he leaned down and kissed Nico again for a few long seconds. 

It wasn’t until the door was closed and Will was likely half-way back to his cabin that Nico wondered about what he said. He touched his lips as he collapsed back onto his bed. They were still tingling slightly, in a pleasant way, and he resigned himself to the fact that he was hopelessly smitten with the son of Apollo, and settled in for what sure to be a long night filled with thoughts of him.


	2. Epiphany

Nico felt himself slowly coming back into consciousness. It was very early, or so it felt to Nico. He groaned internally. He really hated mornings. The son of Hades rolled over without opening his eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but his hand suddenly fell against something firm, but also warm and soft. He heard a soft grunt from the general area where his hand had hit, and his eyes snapped open confusedly. Then, his dark eyebrows raised slightly as he took in the sight of the very tan, muscular boy lying next to him on the dark sheets. In his sleepy stupor, he had totally forgotten Will had stayed the night last night. He suddenly recalled their late night conversation (Apollo vs. Hades as the most embarrassing dad, in-depth fan theories about Harry Potter, playful arguments about which super hero would win in a fight, etc.) and he couldn’t help but smile to himself.

Nico continued to gaze at the blonde boy’s lovely face, and the latter made a soft crooning noise in his sleep. Nico was happy he hadn’t woken him up. He was so adorable when he slept. Tentatively, Nico ran his fingers lightly along the boy’s collar bone, relishing in the abnormal warmth of his skin. It still made a shock like a bolt of lightning run down Nico’s spine, in a pleasurable sort of way, and he shivered slightly. He started to lean down, wanting to touch his lips to the soft skin of Will’s shoulder, but a sudden thought pulled him up short. He furrowed his brow, sat up slightly, and moved his hand to his mouth. 

_We’re dating_ , a voice whispered in his mind. Nico turned the words over and over in his head, trying to make sense of them. _How had this happened?_ he wondered. A strange sort of nervousness was flooding through him and he stared back down at Will. _We’re dating_ , he thought again. Suddenly, the son of Apollo shifted slightly and opened his eyes just a tiny bit, seeming to appraise Nico. Apparently he wasn’t as sound asleep as Nico had thought. As the younger boy caught a glimpse of the beautiful blue irises he adored so much, he couldn’t help the huge grin that suddenly split his features. _I’m dating Will Solace_ he thought, his nervousness quickly turning into giddiness and excitement. 

Then, Will turned over onto his back and opened his eyes fully, arching an eyebrow at Nico before yawning hugely. Nico surveyed his attractive bare chest and hoped his face wasn’t going too red. 

“Hey sunshine,” Will said sleepily, “somebody’s happy this morning.” 

Nico suddenly realized he was still grinning like an idiot and quickly worked to compose his features into a more neutral expression. 

“Sorry, I just, uh, I just realized something,” Nico said, a slight blush now definitely warming his cheeks. 

Will arched his light eyebrow again. “Oh?” he said quizzically. 

“Yeah. I just realized that you’re… well, you’re my _boyfriend_ ,” Nico said looking at Will hesitantly. “And, and I’m _your_ boyfriend.” He still couldn’t quite believe it. 

To his surprise Will just snorted and rolled his eyes. 

“Well, duh, Death Boy, what else would this be?” he said. His tone was sarcastic, but his eyes were playful. He smiled the dazzling smile that always seemed to take Nico’s breath away. “Took you long enough,” he added with a wink. 

“Oh shut up, Solace,” Nico said and he quickly leaned in and kissed him before the other boy could see the blush further reddening his face.


	3. The Skeleton Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys, this one's slightly more angsty, but the ending is really cute. Also, this was inspired by some amazing fan art I saw on Pinterest, so props to whoever made those.  
> Hope you like it!

Will:

Will stared thoughtfully out at the road ahead of him as he drove. He kept one hand on the wheel, the other gently resting on Nico’s knee in the passenger seat, his small cool hand on top of that. They drove along in comfortable silence for a few miles, with only the radio playing softly in the background. Nico had it on some endless playlist of emo music, as always, but Will didn’t mind. Being a son of Apollo, he generally listened to anything, including some very obscure genres most people had no idea even existed. 

Will and Nico were headed back home from a long day at a new museum that opened recently, not too far from their apartment in New York. Nico had mentioned it briefly one day because it was supposedly showcasing a newly unearthed Roman sculpture of Pluto. Nico had said he’d wanted to see it to ‘compare likenesses’ with his father, the real god of the underworld. Will had decided it would make a good date, so he surprised Nico by taking him out for the day. After they finished at the museum, they went to an early dinner at a moderately fancy restaurant. Now, they drove along the highway as the setting sun cast rays of orange, pink, and yellow across the sky. 

“What are you thinking about?” Nico suddenly asked softly from the passenger’s seat. Will glanced over and found the boy staring at him thoughtfully, a spark of curiosity lingering in his lovely dark eyes. 

“Right at that moment? I was wondering how Dad creates all those colors for the sunset. I know he drives the sun chariot and all, but I’ve never asked him why it causes the color change at dawn and dusk,” Will said mildly. 

“Oh,” Nico said, nodding as he considered Will’s answer. 

As Will looked at the boy again, he was struck, for what seemed the millionth time now, by how beautiful he was. The sinking sun filtered through the window at exactly the right angle to illuminate his pale but olive-toned skin, highlight his silky black hair so that it almost looked like it was streaked with gold, and light up his eyes so Will could see the intricate, chocolate brown pattern of his irises perfectly. If he hadn’t been driving at the moment, Will likely wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from running his fingers through Nico’s hair and kissing him on his small pink lips. As it was, he settled for smiling at the boy affectionately.

“What about you?” he asked, stroking Nico’s fingers softly with his own. “What are you thinking about?” 

Nico’s pale cheeks brightened with a slight pink blush. “Oh, well I, umm, I was just thinking about how fun it was… ya know, with you at, at the museum,” he said, glancing up at Will as if daring him to laugh. 

Will just smiled a little bigger. “We aim to please, di Angelo,” he said. 

Nico rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He had a faint little trace of a dimple that showed when he smiled, and Will couldn’t help the urge he felt to kiss him every time he saw it. The boy was just so cute it was impossible not to. 

Will was entertaining that thought when suddenly, Nico’s brow furrowed in alarm and he yelled, “Solace, look out!” 

Will turned back to the road just in time to catch a glimpse of the fearful eyes of a small, black and white tabby cat standing rigidly in the middle of the road, just in front of the car. He pulled his hand hurriedly from Nico’s knee and yanked the wheel with both hands, trying to swerve to avoid the creature, but he wasn’t quite fast enough. With a sickening _thunk_ , the car collided with the animal. Will suffered a moment of shock, but as soon as his brain caught up with him, he maneuvered the car to the shoulder and braked hard, the tries screeching as he came to a stop on the side of the road. 

“What are you doing?” Nico demanded as Will took off his seat belt and opened the door. 

“I have to save it,” Will said determinedly. 

Nico stared at him with raised eyebrows for a second. Then he seemed to understand what Will meant and he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Will,” he said in an exasperated sort of voice. You’re not—you can’t— tell me you’re not” he muttered. 

Will ignored him and grabbed a pair of latex gloves from center console as he got out of the car. He always kept some in there, just in case. He closed the door quickly and trotted along the shoulder of the road, looking for the poor creature he had hit. He could hear Nico calling after him, but he didn’t catch exactly what he said. He thought he heard the words ‘Solace’, ‘road kill’ and ‘over reacting’, but the rest all jumbled together. Will simply ignored him and kept walking. After a few minutes, he spotted the cat lying in the middle of the road, and jogged the rest of the way over to it. His heart wrenched painfully as he took in the sight of its mangled body and the dark stain around it on the pavement. He blinked back tears and forced himself into medical emergency mode, pulling the gloves over his hands. 

Carefully, he scooped up the cat and brought it over to the side of the road. He could hear its tiny heart still beating, but only faintly. Its lower half was almost completely smashed, and Will could see the dark blood already matting its fur. Its intelligent-looking yellow eyes regarded him as he prepared to work, giving him a look that said plainly it wanted an end to its misery. Will clenched his jaw to keep himself from crying and he set his hands on the cat’s lower body. 

He closed his eyes as he concentrated, imagining the healing golden light flowing from his fingers like he always did with his patients. After a few minutes, Will opened one eye and peaked at the cat. It had laid its head down on the ground and wasn’t moving. A wave of anxiety washed over Will and he quickly closed his eyes again and tried to concentrate harder. Normally, when he did this, his hands would grow pleasantly warm for a few minutes as the magic took effect, and then he would feel a wave of exhaustion creep over him, letting him know his efforts had worked. 

But something was wrong now. His hands remained stubbornly cold, and he didn’t feel tired at all. After a few more minutes of effort, he examined the cat again, searching desperately for even the smallest sign of improvement. It remained as still as ever, and its eyes were listless and dull. Will ground his teeth and shut his eyes tight, attempting with all his willpower to revive the creature. He went on like that for what felt like a long time, concentrating and re-examining, concentrating and then re-examining. Finally, he felt a small cool hand touch his shoulder and he jumped slightly. 

“Will,” Nico’s voice said softly not far from his ear. “You've got to stop. It’s gone.” 

Will had been concentrating so hard he hadn’t even noticed Nico walk over to him. 

“No its not. Don’t say that. I can fix it. I know I can,” Will said as he put his hands back on the cat’s body. 

“Will,” Nico said again, crouching slowly beside him. 

Will ignored him. 

“Will, look at me,” Nico said as he took his face gently between his hands. Reluctantly, Will looked up. Nico’s dark eyes were full of sympathy and sadness. 

“There’s nothing more you can do. It’s gone,” he said. 

Will stared at him for a few seconds uncomprehendingly. 

“I— I can feel it,” Nico added hesitantly. His expression was apologetic. “Cats may not have mortal souls,” he said, “but I still know when the life inside a being is gone.” 

Will stared at him for a few more seconds, but as his words sunk in, he sagged and fell against Nico’s shoulder, finally letting the tears spill down over his cheeks. 

“Hey, hey it’s ok,” Nico crooned softly. “It’s ok. It was just a cat.” 

Will pulled back slightly to look at him, furrowing his brow despite the tears. “Just a cat?” he said incredulously. “Nico, that was a life! That was a living, breathing, innocent creature and I—” he choked off, the lump in his throat making it hard to speak. “I— I killed it, Nico,” he said miserably, slumping forward again as fresh tears welled up in his eyes. Nico wrapped his arms around him. He didn’t say anything else; he seemed to sense that Will just needed some time to let his feelings out, and he held Will for what seemed like a long time. Finally, Will made an effort to pull himself together. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured to Nico, pulling his gloves off so he could wipe his eyes. “We should get going. It’s getting late.” 

“Ok,” Nico said raising an eyebrow slightly at him. “Are you sure you’re ok?” 

“Yeah,” Will said simply, and he walked back to the car without another backward glance. 

Nico: 

A few hours later, Nico tiptoed out of the bedroom, being very careful not to wake Will. It was late, and the sky outside was very dark. 

_Perfect_ , Nico thought. _Shadow travel will be easy tonight_. 

A small wave of guilt washed over him, but he worked to suppress it. He knew Will wouldn’t be happy if he knew what Nico was about to do, but he’d be ok. Nico hadn’t shadow traveled for a good couple of days now, and he was sure he’d be able to do it without any problem. If worst came to worst, he knew Will could always use a bit of his healing magic to fix him up if he needed it. And if it meant there was a chance at saving the cat… well, a few days of rest and Will's lectures would be worth it. 

Nico carefully laced up his converse as he thought about the creature they had hit earlier. In truth, it hadn’t meant that much to Nico; it was just a cat after all. There were hundreds of them in the world, and Nico was sure they got hit by cars plenty often, or died in the wild some other way. But the animal had obviously meant a lot to Will. That much was obvious from the desperate way he had attempted to save it. Nico had felt pretty bad, knowing from the moment they had hit it that Will's efforts would be in vain, but he couldn’t bring himself to really stop Will from trying anyway. The fierce look of determination and caring that had burned in Will’s ice-blue eyes still made Nico shiver slightly. He didn’t usually think of Will’s healing magic as scary, but at that moment, the boy had almost seemed to be overtaken with such a manic tenacity, Nico wasn’t sure he would have been able to stop him even if he had tried. 

Instead, he simply watched for a few minutes as his boyfriend attempted to bring the cat back from the dead, seeming to grow more and more frustrated as his efforts failed. Nico felt the animal’s fragile life slip slowly and silently out of its body, and he finally decided he’d better do something before Will killed himself with exertion. It had taken a few tries, but Will had finally seemed to accept that there was no saving the poor creature, and he just slumped into Nico’s shoulder, sobbing despondently. Nico had held him somewhat awkwardly for a time, not used to being the one to do the comforting. As they knelt there, on the side of the highway, Nico stared at the cat’s lifeless body, and an idea began to form in his mind. Although Will had been unable to bring the animal fully back into the world of the living, perhaps there was some way Nico still could. 

Back in the present, Nico clung to that idea as he slipped quietly out the door of the apartment he shared with Will. He quickly glanced around, assessing the darkness of the area immediately around him. He found a particularly nice spot on the side of the building, between two overgrown bushes where the shadows were distinctly darker. He carefully stepped into the area and allowed himself to melt into the shadows, imagining the small stretch of highway where he and Will had stopped earlier. 

A few minutes later, Nico blinked as he materialized in an expanse of grass, the pale moonlight reflecting dimly off the yellow paint on the asphalt to his left. He scanned his surroundings and saw a small-ish lumpy shape not far from him. He made his way over to it and crouched down. Sure enough, it was the very same black and white tabby cat, looking much like it had earlier when Will ran over it. Its back legs were smashed almost completely flat, and much of its fur was matted down with dried blood. Nico felt a surge of pity course through him as he looked at the animal. He thought he understood, now, a little bit of what Will meant earlier. It was an innocent animal, after all. It didn’t deserve to die so harsh and unceremoniously. 

Very carefully, Nico reached out and put his hands gently on the cat’s body. He closed his eyes and concentrated, not entirely unlike the way Will had. At first, Nico was afraid his idea wouldn’t work, as nothing seemed to be happening. He had half a mind to forget the whole thing and shadow travel back home, but something stopped him. He concentrated a little harder, willing the creature to reanimate. Suddenly, Nico’s fingers tingled strangely. He felt as if some sort of liquid-like substance was pouring out of them, engulfing the cat’s corpse. He continued for a few minutes, and then withdrew his hands and opened his eyes. He scrambled back a few paces as he took in the sight. The body of the cat was completely obscured by what looked like a small cloud made of softly undulating pure shadow. Nico stared at it uncertainly, worried he may have done something wrong. He had never outright attempted to reanimate anything, and especially not something so freshly dead. Usually, the skeletons he summoned from the ground were so old they had no flesh left on them, so he never really thought of them as zombies. 

Now, Nico briefly worried the cat would come back half-decayed and evil, before a soft pop made him jump. The shadowy black cloud dissipated in an instant, leaving only the alabaster white bones of a fully-formed feline skeleton. It stood on all four legs, each tiny little bone holding together by some invisible force, exactly as it would if it were part of a living cat. Nico cocked his head to the side as the empty sockets of the cat’s skull stared up at him. Then, the creature walked casually over to him, rubbing its body in a seemingly affectionate sort of way against Nico’s pant leg. 

“Uh, hi little guy,” Nico said, crouching down to pet the skeleton cat. 

It was a very strange phenomenon; Nico had never pet something that didn’t have skin or fur. Immediately at Nico’s touch, the skeleton cat began to make an odd rattling noise, nuzzling its skull against the palm of his hand. It took Nico a moment to realize the cat was purring. Despite his lingering fear and uncertainty, he let out a sort of dry chuckle, sitting down in the grass as the cat climbed into his lap. 

Nico continued to stroke the cat, feeling the smoothness of the white bone on his fingertips. 

“You’re not so bad, are you, little guy?” he asked. 

The cat kept making the rattling sound and pushed its tiny bone paws against him in a kneading motion. Nico wasn’t used to any kind of animal being so affectionate with him. Well, except for the hell hounds, he supposed. Still, it was different having such a tiny thing act so loving toward him. He smiled slightly as he continued to stroke its skull, the last traces of his apprehension leaving him. 

“How can you still purr?” Nico wondered aloud, raising his eyebrow at the cat. 

The moonlight shone on the top of its skull, making its eye sockets look as dark and endless as the night sky. It nuzzled Nico again and he stroked it gently for another few minutes before a sudden thought sent a wave of anxiety over him. 

Oh Gods, what time was it? He had no idea how long he'd been gone now. Will was going to be so angry with him. Well, that’s assuming he wasn’t going out of his mind with worry right now, which he probably was. Quickly, Nico stood up, glancing around for the darkest patch of shadow near him. The skeleton cat rubbed against his leg, and he bit his lip, trying to decide what to do. On one hand, Nico wasn’t sure how Will would react to him showing up in the middle of the night, toting around a reanimated cat skeleton. On the other, the cat seemed to be pretty attached to him now, and he would feel bad about leaving it in the middle of nowhere by itself. What if the mortals saw it? Quickly, Nico came to his decision and scooped up the cat, cradling it gently with one arm. It was small enough that Nico’s jacket sleeve more or less concealed it from view. It snuggled in contentedly and seemed to go to sleep. Then, Nico walked over to the base of a fairly large tree and melted into the shadows around it. 

He rematerialized on the front step of his and Will’s apartment, and he didn’t hesitate in opening the door and stepping inside. The apartment was still completely dark, and for a second, Nico thought Will might still be asleep. 

Then an angry voice demanded, “Nico di Angelo! Do you have any idea what time it is? Where have you been?” 

A dim lamp flickered on and a very disgruntled looking Will Solace appeared on the other side of the living room, his arms folded over his chest and his curly blonde hair sticking up strangely in few places. 

Nico opened his mouth to reply, but Will caught sight of his arm held close to his chest and the anger in his eyes quickly turned to fear and concern. 

“Oh Gods, Nico are you hurt?” he asked, crossing the room quickly in a few hurried strides. 

A fresh wave of guilt washed over Nico as he looked at his boyfriend. He had such a concerned expression it almost made Nico’s chest hurt. 

“Umm, well no,” Nico said sort of evasively, taking a small step back away from Will. “I— I’m not hurt.” He kept his arm protectively over the skeleton cat, who was apparently still sound asleep, concealed entirely from view against his chest, and looked down at his shoes. 

Will furrowed his brow and crossed his arms back over his own chest. 

“Then where in Hades have you been? It’s almost two o’clock in the morning,” he said exasperatedly. Then he frowned at Nico’s bent arm. “And why are you acting so weird?” 

Nico shuffled his feet. There wasn’t going to be an easy way to do this. 

“I, uh, made a friend,” he said quietly, moving his arm slowly to reveal the bundle of bones he was holding. As if on cue, the skeleton cat moved its skull up, looking straight at Will. 

“Ah!” Will yelled in surprise, jumping about a foot in the air. “Nico, what the— what is that?” 

Nico cradled the cat again, but kept it in view. “It— well, you remember that cat you tried to save earlier?” he said carefully. 

“What?” Will said, staring at him uncomprehendingly for a few seconds. 

“The, umm cat, you, ya know, ran over, umm earlier today,” Nico said hesitantly, glancing at Will with a sheepish expression. 

Will’s brow was still furrowed in confusion, but suddenly his eyes widened as understanding seemed to wash over him. He stared at Nico for just a second and then rubbed the space between his eyebrows with two fingers. After a minute, he looked back up at Nico. 

“Are you telling me,” he began carefully, clenching his teeth as if the words were difficult to get out, “that you shadow traveled in the middle of the night, used your underworld magic to resurrect a dead cat on the side of the road into an animated skeleton, and then brought it _home with you_?” he asked. His blue eyes were flashing dangerously. 

Nico automatically felt defensive. “I— well, yeah,” he said. 

“And for your information,” he added in a more defiant tone, “I did it for you, Will. I saw how much the cat’s death affected you, and I thought maybe I could do something to make it better. I haven’t shadow traveled in days and I made it back just fine tonight. Now, this cat and I seem to have some sort of bond, and I’d appreciate it if you’d stop lecturing me about it.” He glared at Will, as if daring him to argue back. 

Will just looked taken aback. “You, you did it for me?” he repeated slowly. 

Nico rolled his eyes. Honestly, he didn’t understand how Will could be so dense. “Well of course I did. You cried in my arms for like twenty minutes because you couldn’t heal the poor thing. I wasn’t just going to _not_ try to make it better.” 

Understanding dawned in Will’s eyes. Nico expected Will to start arguing with him again, but he didn’t. The boy did something that surprised him even more. He closed the distance between them and wrapped Nico in a hug, being careful not to squish the cat in Nico's arms. He was so warm, Nico felt like he’d just been wrapped in a cozy blanket. Will simply held him for a few seconds before taking Nico’s face gently between his hands. 

“I swear to all the Gods, Nico di Angelo,” he said softly, “you are the stupidest,” he kissed Nico’s cheek, “sweetest,” he kissed Nico’s forehead, “most idiotic,” he kissed Nico’s nose, “and adorable person I have ever met.” He kissed Nico's lips softly and rested his forehead gently against the boy's. “And for that, I will always love you.” 

Little spots of warmth still lingered everywhere Will's lips had touched. A small smile pulled up the corners of Nico’s mouth. “I love you too, Will” he said, and he pressed his lips onto the boy’s. 

They kissed passionately for a few seconds before a sudden rattling vibration made them both pull back in surprise. 

Then Will’s face broke into the beautiful, slightly crooked grin Nico loved. 

“It purrs?” he asked questioningly. 

“Uh, yeah, apparently,” Nico said. 

Will laughed lightly. It was a musical sound that always seemed to warm Nico up from the inside out. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his own lips again. 

“So, I guess we have a pet cat now, huh?” Will said, his eyes sparkling. 

“Guess so,” Nico replied.


	4. A Problem of Authenticity

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Will said, looking over at Nico from the driver’s seat of his mom’s red Honda Civic.

“Oh yeah it was just great,” Nico said sarcastically. “If you’re into fake Italian food.” 

“Well, we are in America, you know, not Italy.” Will’s ice-blue eyes sparkled with amusement. 

Nico rolled his own eyes. “Shut up, Solace,” he said, but a smile was tugging at his lips. He stared out the window, watching idly as the cars and buildings passed by. 

“Man, even the worst food in Venice would have been more authentic than that,” he added after a minute. 

Will laughed softly. “Nico, it’s Olive Garden. I don’t think any of us expects it to be _real_ Italian food.” 

“Yeah, well,” Nico grumbled, “if they’re going to put menu items in Italian and call themselves an Italian restaurant they shouldn’t serve food that’s so… _American_.” 

In truth, they had only gone there because Will’s mom had a coupon, not because either of them had any particular preference for the place, but still, Nico felt personally insulted by the lack of authenticity. 

“Well, why don’t we just fly on over to Venice next time we go out to eat then, would that make you happy, Death Boy?” Will asked. His tone sounded annoyed, but Nico knew he was just joking. 

Suddenly, an idea started forming in Nico’s mind. His heartbeat sped up slightly as he considered the logistics. Yes, he knew the perfect place… 

“Fine by me,” he quipped back to Will. 

He decided to let the ‘Death Boy’ comment slide. He looked out the window again, careful to keep his smile concealed from his boyfriend. He knew he couldn’t let on too much what he was planning, lest Will kill him. He would never approve of something so dramatic. Still, the idea was taking hold in Nico’s mind with a kind of irresistible appeal. And once he got Will there, Nico knew he would love it. And why shouldn’t he? 

Suddenly, the car turned into the drive way of Will’s mom, Naomi’s, driveway, snapping Nico abruptly out of his thoughts. Nico tried his best not to look too guilty as Will pushed the button for the garage door and pulled the car inside. The two of them had been staying at the Solace household for the last few days, since they both had off and Will had wanted to introduce them. It had gone all right so far; Nico liked Will’s mom pretty well for the most part. She had admittedly been a little surprised when Will announced that Nico was his boyfriend, but she had recovered herself well. Nico couldn’t tell if her surprise stemmed from finding out that her son was into dudes, or just that he had a (new) boyfriend. Nico had decided not to ask, and Will didn’t clarify. At any rate, Naomi Solace had treated Nico with nothing but warmth and kindness, so he didn’t hold it against her. She had even relented to let he and Will share a room. He couldn’t argue with that. 

In the present, Will put the car in park and turned off the ignition switch. Then, he got out and came around to Nico’s side, opening the door for him. Despite himself, Nico blushed. He still wasn’t used to someone paying so much attention to him, even though he and Will had been dating for a fair amount of time now (and he absolutely spoiled Nico every chance he got). Nico grumbled a thanks to his boyfriend as he got out of the car. Will took his hand, and together they walked into the house. 

Nico breathed in the (now somewhat familiar) clean, lemony scent of Will’s mom’s house. She was a very organized person; there was no clutter or mess anywhere to be seen, and everything seemed to be done in a “warm and sunny” aesthetic. Nico had no trouble believing that she had fallen for the sun god. And vice versa. 

“Will, Nico, is that you?” Ms. Solace called from another room. 

“Yeah, Mom, we’re home,” Will answered, leaning against one of the countertops idly. 

Nico hovered close to him feeling somewhat nervous. Despite staying here the last few days, he still felt a bit like an outsider. He was happy Will still hadn’t let go of his hand. 

“Oh wonderful!” Ms. Solace said, coming around the corner and into view. “How was everything?” 

As he saw her, Nico was struck, for what seemed the millionth time in the last few days, by how much she reminded him of Will. Her kind eyes and easy smile mirrored his almost exactly. It gave Nico an odd sense of déjà vu every time he saw them. 

“It was great!” Will replied with some enthusiasm. “Nico especially like it, being part Italian and all.” 

He squeezed Nico’s fingers playfully, out of Ms. Solace’s view. Nico had to resist the urge to punch him on the arm. It was just like Will to tease him like this. Nico cleared his throat. “Um, yeah, it was great,” he managed. He tried for a smile, hoping it looked genuine. He didn’t want to hurt Ms. Solace’s feelings. 

“That’s wonderful dears. I’m glad you had a nice time,” she said. Then she glanced at her watch. “Oh my! It’s really gotten late. You two should probably head on up to bed,” she said seriously. 

Will nodded and headed toward the stairs, with Nico in tow. Once they were safely in Will’s room with the door closed, Nico turned on him. 

“Why’d you have to go and put me on the spot like that?” he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Will just laughed, his beautiful eyes dancing in the lamp light. He wrapped Nico into a hug, despite his still crossed arms. 

“Because I know you hated it, and it’s fun to watch you struggle,” he said. 

“That’s not very nice,” Nico grumbled into his chest. 

He breathed in Will’s scent. It was a delicious woodsy smell that always sent Nico’s heart racing. He still hadn’t figured out if it was some sort of cologne, or maybe just his deodorant, but whatever it was, Nico loved it. He tried not to think about that at the moment though. Will leaned back slightly and put his hand gently under Nico’s chin, tilting his face up to look at him. Nico finally uncrossed his arms and rested his hands lightly at Will’s waist. 

“You know I do it because I love you,” Will said softly. His lips were so close. Nico really had to resist the urge to stretch up and kiss him. 

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” he mumbled half-heartedly. He could never stay upset with Will for long. Especially when he was face to face with those stunning eyes that made his heart melt into a puddle in his chest. It was infuriating. 

Will just smiled. His perfect white teeth contrasted slightly with the tan skin of his face. His curly blonde hair hung down just to his eyes, completing the whole ‘surfer dude’ look he had going on. Nico wondered idly how he had fallen for such a big dork. Then he decided he didn’t care. He stretched up on his tip toes, pressing his lips to Will’s. 

As his boyfriend kissed him back, tingles shot down Nico’s spine. Will’s lips were always so soft and warm, it was intoxicating. He wrapped his arms gently around his waist, feeling the heat radiating from his body, even through his clothes. Will cupped Nico’s face lightly with one hand and tangled the other into his hair. As they continued to kiss, Nico’s pulse sped up considerably. He had to remind himself to breathe. Gods, he could kiss Will forever… 

Suddenly, the sound of the door popping open snapped Nico back to reality abruptly. 

“Hey, Will have you seen my oh! Oh gosh! Sorry!” Will’s mom said as she caught sight of the two of them. She covered her eyes with her hand. It might have been comical, if Nico wasn’t so embarrassed. He and Will broke apart quickly, and Nico looked down at his shoes. He felt a bright red blush creeping onto his face, and he desperately avoided both Will’s and his mom’s eyes. 

Will cleared his throat. “Umm, what did you need, Mom?” he asked. 

Naomi uncovered her eyes. She smiled at Will a little sheepishly. 

“Oh, I, uh, was just wondering if you knew where my planner was,” she said. 

“Uh, I think it’s in the desk downstairs,” Will said. 

“Oh, oh yeah, I bet you’re right. Well, thanks dear. I’ll leave you two alone,” she said, turning to leave. Just before she walked out the door she turned and winked straight at Nico. “You two be good,” she said. Then she bustled off down the hall. 

Will let out a long breath. “Sorry about that,” he said to Nico. Then he turned, and walked over to the bed, pulling the covers back like he was going to crawl in it. 

Nico walked over and sat down next to him, perching on the edge of the bed. “Don’t be,” he said. “Your mom is… cool.” 

Will smiled his dazzling smile, making Nico’s heart flutter, yet again. He wondered idly if he’d ever get used to that. Then Will laid back into the bed, pulling Nico with him. He rested his head on Will’s chest, tracing little patterns softly on the tan skin of his arm. He hadn’t realized it until just now, but he was actually pretty tired. As Will’s warmth washed over him, he suddenly found it a little difficult to keep his eyes open. 

“I think she really likes you,” Will said softly after a few minutes. 

Nico didn’t reply. He bit his lip as he pondered that. He couldn’t help wondering what his own mother would have thought of Will, if it had been possible to bring him home. That thought made him sad. 

“Good,” he said finally, trying to get his mind away from those thoughts, “because I like you.” 

Will chuckled quietly. “Well, I _love_ you,” he said in playful sort of tone. 

Nico rolled his eyes, trying but failing to stifle a yawn. “I love you too, Will,” he said. He felt his boyfriend kiss his hair softly as he drifted into sleep. 

****************** 

“Are you ready yet?” Nico asked, fidgeting slightly with his silver skull ring. 

Will glared at him from where he was putting on his shoes. “I don’t know, are you going to tell me where we’re going?” 

Nico didn’t reply. 

It was a few days after the two of them had left Will’s mom’s, and they were back at home, in New York. Nico glanced out the window as the last rays of orange and pink from the sunset shone through. In just a few minutes there would be enough shadows… 

“Ok,” Will said, “I’m ready.” 

“Finally,” Nico said, taking his hand, and pulling him toward the door. 

“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going?” Will asked, his blue eyes shining with curiosity. 

“Nope. It’s a surprise,” Nico said. 

As soon as they were out on the front porch, Will stopped, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Nico. 

“Wait,” he said. “Is Jules-Albert picking us up or…?” 

“I told you it’s a surprise. Just close your eyes, Solace.” 

“Nico…” he started 

“Would you just do it?” Nico asked, glaring at him. 

“Fine,” he snapped and promptly shut his eyes. 

Nico walked over and took both of his hands. He shut his eyes too, and before Will could say anything further, they were sucked into a void of cold darkness, melting into the shadows. 

“Gah, Nico what the hell?” Will said as they stumbled into a landing on a grassy hill. 

Nico was well used to the feeling of shadow travel by now, but Will certainly was not. He put his face in his hand like he was dizzy. Nico surveyed the surrounding area. They stood on a little hill just above a city with beautiful, rustic looking buildings and glittering canals where the roads should have been. Nico cursed himself silently. He had meant to travel straight onto the boardwalk, but it seemed that he overshot a little bit. He hoped Will was up for a walk. 

Speaking of Will, the son of Apollo seemed to have gotten his bearings finally, and he looked out over the cityscape. His brow furrowed as he took in the sight. 

“Wait a minute,” he said, “Is that it is! Nico di Angelo! Did you seriously just shadow travel us all the way to Venice?” 

“I maybe,” Nico admitted somewhat sheepishly. 

Will sighed exasperatedly, walking over and beginning to examine Nico like he was a patient back at the infirmary. “You’re going to have to rest for days after this! I’ll have to nurse you back to health, get more ambrosia, nevermind any other responsibilities I might have had…” 

“Because you’d mind it so much,” Nico said, smiling dryly at his boyfriend. 

Will glared at him. 

“Oh come on, Solace. I’m fine,” he said, pulling his hand away. “Besides, I brought you here for a reason. Follow me.” He started down the hill. 

Finally, after a good walk and lots of continued grumbling on Will’s part about the shadow travel, they reached a small café-style restaurant on one of the quieter streets (well, canals), and Nico held open the door, gesturing Will inside. As he stepped in, a wave of nostalgia washed over Nico. His mother had taken him here a few times when he was a kid. As usual, he felt the familiar tug of sadness that always came with thoughts of his mother, but he pushed them aside. Instead, he looked at his boyfriend, gauging his reaction. 

The son of Apollo seemed to be taking in the ambiance of the restaurant with an almost childlike excitement. His blue eyes sparkled in the soft light, a lovely smile painting his features. Nico didn’t blame him. The walls were covered in large, colorful tile mosaics depicting all sorts of scenes from both Roman mythology and the Christian bible; intricate woodwork lined the room and decorated the tables; cloudy glass wall sconces shimmered on the walls, as well as flickering candles on every table, which bathed everything in a soft, warm glow; and, as if that wasn’t enough, oil paintings in all different sizes, full of such detail and beauty they were mesmerizing to look at hung interspersed between the mosaics. Nico would have thought that so much colorful artwork would have made the place seem too busy and chaotic, but somehow, it worked. There was just enough to fascinate, but not so much to overwhelm. All in all, it was probably the most romantic place Nico could think of. 

“Nico… this is amazing,” Will said, still taking in the scene. 

Nico allowed himself a small smile. He knew Will would love it. For a moment at least, Will seemed to have forgotten about the shadow travel thing. Before Nico could reply, a waiter sidled up to them asking, in Italian, how many would be dining. 

“ _Just us two_ ,” Nico replied, also in Italian. 

The waiter nodded and led them toward the back of the restaurant, ushering them to a cozy spot near the corner. Nico and Will sat down, accepting menus from the waiter before he bustled off. Nico perused it for a minute, but he already knew what he wanted. Suddenly, he felt Will’s warm hand cover his own. 

“Thank you for bringing me here,” he said quietly so only Nico would hear. 

Nico hoped his blush wouldn’t be too obvious in the dim lighting. He looked down at their hands. “My-my mother brought me here a few times when I was a kid,” he said, almost to himself. “I’ve always loved it.” 

“I can see why,” Will said. Nico chanced a glance at him. There was such affection shining in his blue eyes Nico almost had to look away again. His face was definitely red now. 

Then Will glanced at his menu. He smiled sheepishly at Nico. “Umm, just one small problem.” He gestured to the menu. “I have no idea what any of this says.” 

Nico couldn’t help cracking a smile. Gods, Will was so cute, he thought. “Oh, here I’ll help you,” he said, and he began describing menu items to his boyfriend. 

A few minutes later, the waiter reappeared and took their orders. Nico pulled his hand away from Will’s quickly, trying not to blush further. The waiter didn’t seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn’t care. He glanced at Will with a somewhat annoyed expression when he ordered with a very obvious American accent, but when Nico ordered in Italian it seemed to make up for it. When they were done, he scooped up their menus and hurried off again, leaving Nico and Will alone. Nico studied the artwork nearest them. 

“Is that-is that Apollo?” Will asked after a few minutes, a curious expression on his face. 

Nico followed his gaze to a mosaic not far from them. Near one of the edges was the likeness of a man with blonde hair and a deep tan, holding a golden bow and covered only by what looked like a piece of white cloth, draped over his groin. 

“Umm, I think so,” Nico said, trying to contain his laughter. It was a pretty common occurrence for demigods to find artwork depicting their godly parents (particularly in Europe), but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing when a piece showed them in a more… risqué fashion. 

Will’s cheeks took on a pink tint. “Ugh, how embarrassing,” he said, rolling his eyes slightly. “You’re lucky your dad never appears uncovered anywhere.” 

“Yeah well, he makes up for it with a lot of other embarrassing things, trust me.” 

Suddenly, the waiter appeared again, placing Will and Nico’s steaming plates in front of them and effectively ending their conversation. Will smacked his lips appreciatively, and Nico muttered a thanks to the waiter as he bustled off again. Then they both dug in. The food was just as excellent as he remembered. _Ah_ , he thought, _now this is real Italian_. He glanced up at Will. The son of Apollo seemed to be thinking something along the same lines as he still hadn’t paused in devouring his food. Nico smiled a little smugly. He was tempted to say ‘I told you so’, but he refrained. Pretty soon, both of them had more or less cleared their plates. 

Will let out a low whistle as he sat back. “All right,” he said, looking at Nico, “that was the best Italian food I’ve ever had.” 

Nico smirked at him. “I know,” he said simply. 

He pushed his empty plate to the side, feeling full, content, and relaxed. Will’s beautiful eyes danced in the candlelight. He took Nico’s hand from across the table again. 

“What do you say we get out of here and go find a good gelato place, yeah?” 

“Ok,” Nico said. 

They paid for their food and left, stepping out into the warm Venetian air. Will wrapped an arm around Nico’s shoulders, and Nico put his own around Will’s waist. Together, they set off down the boardwalk, a smile spreading across Nico’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have *not* read The Trials of Apollo yet, so I apologize for any inconsistencies with Will's mom's character, or their relationship in general. Also, I have nothing against Olive Garden irl, I just had the headcannon that Nico would complain about it not being real Italian food.


End file.
